SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Lahore (October 8, 2021):-National selectors on Friday confirmed Pakistan’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, which will be held in the United Arab Emirates from 17 October to 14 November. Pakistan is in Group 2 and will open their campaign against India on 24 October at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. From the squad that was announced on 4 September and after taking into consideration player performances and form, the selectors have made three changes. Sarfaraz Ahmed and Haider Ali have replaced Azam Khan and Mohammad Hasnain respectively, while Fakhar Zaman, who was originally named as a travel reserve, has swapped places with Khushdil Shah. The decision on Sohaib Maqsood’s inclusion in the squad will be made following medical advice. The top-order batter underwent MRI scans for the lower back after the 6 October National T20 match against Northern and missed Thursday’s Punjab derby against Central Punjab. Chief selector Mohammad Wasim: “After reviewing player performances in the highly-competitive National T20 and in consultation with the team management, we have decided to include Haider Ali, Fakhar Zaman and Sarfaraz Ahmed in the squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. “The three in-form players bring with them wealth of experience and talent, and provide further stability, balance and strength to the side. “It must be tough for Azam, Khushdil and Hasnain for missing out but they still have a lot to offer in their careers. They are in our future plans as a lot of cricket has to be played post the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 and in the lead up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. “I am pleased with the intensity and high quality of cricket that we have witnessed in the National T20. It has not only provided the players excellent match practice in the lead up to the UAE competition, it has also given us the opportunity to closely monitor the player progress and then make decisions that are in the best interest of the side for what will be a cut-throat tournament.”  Pakistan’s 15-player squad: Babar Azam (captain, Central Punjab) Shadab Khan (vice-captain, Northern) Asif Ali (Northern) Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Haider Ali (Northern) Haris Rauf (Northern) Hasan Ali (Central Punjab) Imad Wasim (Northern) Mohammad Hafeez (Central Punjab) Mohammad Nawaz (Northern) Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper, Sindh) Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Sohaib Maqsood (Southern Punjab) Traveling reserves – Khushdil Shah (Southern Punjab), Shahnawaz Dahani (Sindh) and Usman Qadir (Central Punjab) Player Support Personnel: Mansoor Rana (manager), Saqlain Mushtaq (interim head coach), Shahid Aslam (assistant head coach), Matthew Hayden (batting consultant), Vernon Philander (bowling consultant), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Drikus Saaiman (strength and conditioning coach), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Talha Ejaz (team analyst), Col (retd) Muhammad Imran (Security Manager), Ibrahim Badees (media and digital manager), Dr Najeeb Soomro (team doctor) and Malang Ali (Masseur) Schedule of Pakistan’s matches in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 (all matches to start at 1900 Pakistan time): 24 Oct – Pakistan v India, ICC T20 WC (Group 2), Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai 26 Oct – Pakistan v New Zealand, ICC T20 WC (Group 2), Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah 29 Oct – Pakistan v Afghanistan, ICC T20 WC (Group 2), Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai 2 Nov – Pakistan v A2, ICC T20 WC (Group 2), Sheikh Zayed International Cricket Stadium, Abdu Dhabi 7 Nov –Pakistan v B1, ICC T20 WC (Group 2), Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah ICC T20 World Cup 2021 semi-final schedule: 10 Nov – 1st semi-final, Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi 11 Nov – 2nd semi-final, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai 14 Nov – Final, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai

SPORTS REPORTER Lahore (October 7 2021):-Imam-ul-Haq’s breezy 64 not out off 46 set Balochistan’s third win of the National T20 2021-22 as they defeated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the title defenders, by six wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday. Imam’s first half-century of the event and 19th of his T20 career saw his team overhaul 156-run target with two balls spare. He struck six fours. Imam struck a crucial stand worth 58 with Umaid Asif, who contributed 20 off 12, which decided the match in his side’s favour and took Balochistan to the fifth spot on the points table. Umaid was Imran Khan Snr’s second scalp after he had dismissed Abdul Wahid Bangalzai (14 off 15) in the sixth over. At the start of the run chase, Abdullah Shafique provided a stable base to his side, scoring 28 off 24 (two fours and a six). Sahibzada Farhan with his 49-ball 78 anchored Khyber Pakhtunkhwa innings after Imam put them in to bat. Of the 15 fours in the innings, nine came off Farhan’s bat. He also struck one of the two maximums. Farhan surpassed Babar Azam to become the leading run-getter in this edition of the National T20 with 298 runs next to his name. This was his second half-century of this tournament. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lost wickets on regular intervals and faced the first blow on the third ball when Aamer Azmat fell to Junaid Khan, who also accounted for Fakhar Zaman (12 off 13) in the 16th over and Farhan on the last ball of the penultimate over. Israrullah – the second best scorer in the innings – was run out on 19. Najeebullah and Amad Butt dismissed Mohammad Rizwan (17 off 19) and Iftikhar Ahmed (run-a-ball six). Scores in brief: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 155-6, 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 78; Junaid Khan 3-32) Balochistan 158-4, 19.4 overs (Imam-ul-Haq 64 not out, Abdullah Shafique 28, Umaid Asif 20; Imran Khan Snr 2-27) Player of the match – Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan)

Sports Reporter LAHORE (October 7, 2021):-After failing to record a win in the first six matches, ATF Southern Punjab won their second match on trot as they handed Home City Central Punjab a six-wicket defeat at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday. That Southern Punjab overhauled the target of 155 with an over spare was due to excellent half-centuries by Tayyab Tahir and Khushdil Shah. It was the fifth over which set the momentum for the run chase when Hasan Ali, the Central Punjab captain, was smashed for four fours in an over, which brought 19 runs. Mohammad Imran, who made 24 off 17 and was dismissed in the ninth over, hit three of those. Tayyab and Khushdil denied Central Punjab bowlers any further breakthroughs and they went on to stitch 92-run stand before the former was dismissed in the penultimate over. Tayyab’s 68, included eight fours and two sixes, while Khushdil was unbeaten on 51 off 36 (eight fours). Southern Punjab were 67 for three after 10 overs. The match was defined in the next five overs as they brought 54 runs. It was Hussain Talat’s second half-century in as many matches that dragged Central Punjab to 154 after they were asked to bat first. Hussain staged a brilliant recovery with a carefully crafted 68 off 47 – which went down as his third score of 50-plus in the tournament. Central Punjab faced early blows when Southern Punjab captain Aamer Yamin and pacer Naseem Shah accounted for openers Kamran Akmal and Muhammad Akhlaq in the first two overs. Saif Badar followed them in the fourth over to leave Central Punjab tottering at 30 for three. Hussain, however, put the pressure back on the Southern Punjab bowlers as he smoked Zia-ul-Haq, who later turned out to be the most successful bowler in the innings, for three fours in the last powerplay over. Hussain, who smashed a total of six fours and three sixes, would hit Hassan Khan, the left-arm orthodox, for two consecutive maximums in the ninth over, but the tide turned once again in the 14th over when Zia sent Shoaib Malik (26 off 24) and Qasim Akram packing in consecutive balls. Shoaib’s dismissal brought an end to a 98-run stand. Hussain was dismissed by pacer Mohammad Imran in the next over and no other batter made any notable contribution from there on. Zia’s next two victims were Faheem Ashraf (three off four) and Wahab Riaz (four off six) as the left-arm pacer finished with the figures of four for 40. Last five overs brought only 28 runs at the loss of three wickets for Central Punjab. Scores in brief: ATF Southern Punjab beat Home City Central Punjab by six wickets Home City Central Punjab: 154-9, 20 overs (Hussain Talat 68, Saif Badar 26; Zia-ul-Haq 4-40, Aamer Yamin 2-22, Mohammad Imran 2-24) ATF Southern Punjab: 157-4, 19 overs (Tayyab Tahir 68, Khushdil Shah 51 not out, Mohammad Imran 24; Waqas Maqsood 2-42) Player of the match – Tayyab Tahir Friday’s fixtures: 1500 – Home City Central Punjab v Northern 1930 – ATF Southern Punjab v GFS Sindh

SPORTS REPORTER Karachi (October 7, 2021):-The League Round of the ongoing 46th National Snooker Championship 2021 has completed and 16 players quailed for the next round after winning their matches at NBP Sports Complex, Clifton, Karachi on Thursday. The next round will be played on knock-out system. On the 7th day the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) snooker championship Babar Masih scored highest beak-point of 126 while Mohammad Sattar Khan and Asjad Iqbal played 117 points break. Results (Day-VII): Umer Naeem (Sindh) bt Hiskail Bilal (Bal) 4-0 (75-7, 59-35, 72-21, 102-2(67),) Shah Khan (KP) bt Mohammad Imran Qamar (Punjab) 4-3 (13-60, 59-10(54), 54-42, 32-106(98), 52-29, 40-72(65), 56-41) Munhammad Naseem Akhtar (NBP) bt Mohammad Saleem (KP) 4-3 (68-47, 62-32, 1-69(55), 71-41(51), 8-117(83), 25-76, 105-1(58),) Mohammad Faizan (Sindh) bt Waseem Abbas (Punjab) 4-1 (60-53, 17-57, 53-10, 70-39, 70-46) Mohammad Sattar Khan (Isb) bt Ibrahim Khan (Bal) 4-3 (29-76, 53-12, 47-72, 75-15, 65-22, 01-63, 128-0(122),) Babar Masih (Punjab) bt Haris Tahir (NBP) 4-1(46-72(72), 114-0(50), 82-46(62), 126-0(126), 63-05) Asjad Iqbal (NBP) bt Sultan Mohammad (Sindh) 4-3 (117-0(117), 34-72, 71-01, 69-68(62), 11-91(55), 28-62, 93-9(93),) Yaqoob Khan (KP) bt Tanzeel Hussain (Bal) 4-2 (58-46, 69-33, 55-62, 33-69, 48-18, 62-22) Mohammad Ijaz (Punjab) bt Mohammad Ahsan Javaid (Punjab) 4-0 (74-45, 81-6(64), 66-7, 80-28) Hiskail Bilal (Bal) bt Sheikh Mohammad Muzammil (Punjab) 4-1 (55-15, 74-26, 64-27, 9-52, 59-37) Mohammad Imran Qamar (Punjab) bt Umer Naeem (Sindh) 4-3 (53-78, 51-47, 80-15, 52-62, 64-11, 40-67, 63-11) Zulfiqar A. Qadir (Sindh) bt Mubashir Raza (Punjab) 4-2 (56-57, 28-80(80), 67-8(67), 110-35(82), 62-0, 67-43) Hamza Ilyas (Punjab) bt Saad Khan (KP) 4-3 (74-41, 17-61, 80-33, 13-51, 44-54, 76-2, 80-44) Umair Haider (Punjab) bt Bahadur Khan (Bal) 4-3 (47-62, 76-45, 31-66, 76-40, 58-46, 47-59, 60-30) Shahid Aftab (Punjab) bt Ahsan Ramzan (Punjab) 4-1 (70-1(70), 84-35(58), 73-14, 40-105, 64-47) Aamir Sohail (KP) bt Waqar Ahmed (Isb) 4-3 (22-59, 60-5, 65-28, 23-63, 65-55, 33-66, 63-13) Farukh Usman (Sindh) bt Mohammad Aftab Baig (Bal) 4-0 (Walk over) Mohammad Bilal (Punjab) bt Sheikh Mohammad Mudassir (Punjab) 4-0 (88-10, 60-32, 68-36, 68-16) Ali Hamza (Sindh) bt Abdul Javed (Isb) 4-0 (75-5, 57-22, 77-7(75), 94-27(77),) Nadeem Gull (Punjab) bt Mohammad Imran (KP) 4-0 (67-18, 50-14, 61-19, 53-26) Mohammad Asif (NBP) bt Mohammad Shahzad (Punjab) 4-1 (42-69, 74-60, 60-45, 71-32, 60-8) Awais Ullah (Punjab) bt Rambel Gull (KP) 4-1 (64-10(53), 55-25, 65-0(64), 15-65, 59-31) Mohammad Sajjad (NBP) bt Zubair Tahir (Punjab) 4-0 (64-1, 92-0(92), 80-66, 107-10(106),) Sharjeel Mehmood (KP) bt Adil Khan (Bal) 4-1 (76-16, 21-68, 82-33(72), 81-1, 57-47) Munawar Khaliq (Isb) bt Abdul Qadir Ashir (Bal) 4-3 (57-70, 26-84, 50-59, 70-2, 54-20, 69-18(51), 105-7(76),) Tomorrow Fixture 10:00 am Pre Quarter Best of 9 Frames Mohammad Ijaz (Punjab) v Zulfiqar Ali Qadir (Sindh) Mohammad Sajjad (NBP) v Mohammad Saleem (KP) Mohammad Bilal (Punjab) v Haris Tahir (NBP) Shahid Aftab (Punjab) v Awais Ullah (Punjab) 1:00 pm Mohammad Asif (NBP) v Umer Naeem (Sindh) Umair Haider (Punjab) v Ahsan Ramzan (Punjab) Mohammad Faizan (Sindh) v Sheikh Mohammad Mudassir (Punjab) Babar Masih (Punjab) v Sharjeel Mehmood (KP) After Day 6th Group Position A. Mohammad Asif (NBP), Awais Ullah (Punjab) B. Mohammad Sajjad (NBP), Sharjeel Mehmood (KP) C. Shahid Aftab (Punjab), Ahsan Ramzan (Punjab) D. Sheikh Muhammad Mudassir (Punjab) E. Muhammad Ijaz (Punjab), Umer Naeem (Sindh) F. Umair Haider (Punjab), Zulfiqar A. Qadir (Sindh) G. Muhammad Faizan (Sindh), Muhammad Saleem (KP) H. Babar Masih (Punjab), Haris Tahir (Punjab)

SPORTS REPORTER Karachi (October 7, 2021):-Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) announced a training camp for 29 players aiming to prepare the team for the Junior Hockey World Cup. The training camp will be conducted under the supervision of Camp Commandant and Head Coach National Junior Hockey Team Olympian Danish Kaleem, which will be held from October 14 at Abdul Sattar Edhi Hockey Stadium, Karachi. The Junior Hockey World Cup to be held from November 24 to December 5 in Bhubaneswar, India. The Pakistan Hockey Federation has sent letters to the concerned departments and provinces of the players to submit departmental NOC, six month valid passport, passport size photos and other relevant documents to the camp commandant. Name of players: Rana Waheed (Wapda), Moin Shakeel (Wapda), Ghazanfar Ali (Mari Petroleum), Waqar (Goalkeeper, Wapda), Umair Sattar (Mari Petroleum), Aqeel Ahmed (Mari Petroleum), Abdullah Ishtiaq (Goalkeeper, Mari Petroleum), Roman Khan (WAPDA), Mohibullah (WAPDA), Murtaza Yaqub (Mari Petroleum), Hammad Anjum (WAPDA), Hanan Shahid (National Bank), Shahzeb Khan (Sindh), Mohsin Hassan (Punjab), Samiullah Khan (Customs), Arbaaz Ahmed (Mari Petroleum), Rizwan Ali (PAF), Ali Aziz (WAPDA), Adeel Latif (Sui Southern Gas), Abdul Manan (Sui Southern Gas), Ehtesham Aslam (Mari Petroleum), Abuzar ( Punjab), Mohsin Khan (PAF), Amir Danish Shah (Army), Abdul Rehman (Mari Petroleum), Hassan Amin (Punjab), Waqar Ali Mari Petroleum), Shahzeb Khan (Punjab) and Mohammad Bilawal (Punjab) Officials: Olympian Danish Kaleem Head Coach / Camp Commandant (Customs), Coach Mudassar Ali Khan (WAPDA), Coach Zaheer  Ahmed Babar (Sui Southern Gas), Video Analyst Syed Abuzar Amrao (National Bank) Dr. Asad Abbas Shah (Lahore)

SPORTS REPORTER Karachi (October 7, 2021):-Pakistan Taekwondo team departs for Tehran through private airline via Doha to participate in the 31st Fajar Open, 3rd Asian Open and 10th Asian Taekwondo Club Championship. A six-man squad includes Haroon Khan, Shahzaib, Hamza Saeed, Abu Bakar, Taimoor Saeed, and coach Shahzada Mohammad Asif will be trained there under the supervision of Iran national coaches for the next 5 days. Athletes will compete in the 10th Asian Taekwondo Club Championship from October 13 to 17 in Fajar Open while Asian Open will be kicked off from October 17. Pakistan Olympic Association’s Media Advisor Asif Azeem, General Manager Combaxx Sports Zubair Macha, and officials of Sindh Taekwondo Association saw off the team at Jinnah International Airport. Pakistan’s Bronze Medalist at the 24th Asian Taekwondo Championship at Lebanon, Haroon Khan said that all guys did all preparations for these events and would try to stand on the victory spot. “The experience at Fajar Open will prove to be fruitful for next month's G-one Championship at Islamabad. All the players are full of national spirit and enthusiasm; Insha’Allah will give good results to the nation, “said Hamza Saeed. Taimoor Saeed said that the best players from Asia would be participating in this event; carrying a winning spirit. Coach Shahzada Asif said, “Our players have trained well for the competitions and will give their level best results. It should be clear that all the traveling and competition-related expenses and all support were provided by President Pakistan Taekwondo Federation, “he concluded.

SPORTS DESK Islamabad (October 7, 2021):-The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced the composition of its Coordination Commission for the Games of the XXXV Olympiad after electing Brisbane 2032 as Olympic and Paralympic host last July in Tokyo. Five-time Olympian and two-time Olympic champion in swimming Kirsty Coventry, from Zimbabwe, will chair the Commission. The most decorated Olympian from her continent, Coventry was the Chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, and in this capacity a member of the IOC Executive Board, from 2018 until earlier this year, when the IOC Session in Tokyo approved the change of her IOC membership status to Individual Member. Sixty-six per cent of the Brisbane 2032 Coordination Commission members are women, with the number of female chairs of IOC Commissions now 12 out of 30. The Olympic Games Brisbane 2032 are the first to have been elected under, and to have fully benefited from, the new flexible approach to electing Olympic hosts. The new approach encourages sustainable Olympic projects that fit into long-term regional and national strategies while delivering the best possible Games experience. With an average age of 48, and with the addition of more recently-elected IOC members, the Commission members will also bring a fresh perspective to the preparations. IOC President Thomas Bach said: “Kirsty Coventry is leading an exciting new generation of IOC members in this Commission. As a double Olympic gold medallist and a former IOC Executive Board member, she has all the experience for this important task. The Commission will cooperate closely with the Organising Committee to deliver together sustainable and economically responsible Olympic Games.  These will be an exciting experience for the athletes and the fans, and have a solid legacy fully aligned with the IOC reforms of Olympic Agenda 2020+5.” Commission Chair Coventry added: “It is a great honour to be chosen to lead the Coordination Commission for Brisbane 2032. As a five-time Olympian and former Chair of the Athletes’ Commission, I will always put athletes at the heart of these Games. Brisbane 2032 has an exciting concept which will deliver a great legacy for the region and the country, but most importantly it will deliver great Games for the athletes and for the fans.  Working with such a dynamic Coordination Commission, we can help the organisers with our energy and experience to bring their ideas to life.” As usual, the Commission will be made up of other IOC members who are not on the Executive Board, with representatives of the athletes, International Federations, National Olympic Committees and the International Paralympic Committee. In addition to the Chair and Vice-Chair, there are two members from each continent. Other members might be added to the current core composition over the next 11 years until the Games. The composition of the IOC Coordination Commission Brisbane 2032 is as follows: Chair Kirsty COVENTRY (ZIM) Vice-Chair Anita L. DEFRANTZ (USA) Members Princess Reema BANDAR AL-SAUD (KSA) Dagmawit Girmay BERHANE (ETH) William Frederick BLICK (UGA) Mikaela COJUANGCO JAWORSKI (PHI) Andrew PARSONS (BRA) Federica PELLEGRINI (ITA) Camilo PEREZ LOPEZ MOREIRA (PAR) Auvita RAPILLA (PNG) Jean-Christophe ROLLAND (FRA) Baklai TEMENGIL (PLW)

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Islamabad (October 7, 2021):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the appointments for Round One matches and the Super 12 phase of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, comprising 20 of the best match officials from around the world. The 16 umpires and four match referees finalised for the 45-match tournament include three umpires who will be officiating in their sixth ICC Men’s T20 World Cups - Aleem Dar, Marais Erasmus and Rod Tucker. A 20-strong group means that for the first time since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, there will be neutral umpires for all matches of the 16-team tournament, being played in Muscat (Oman), Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai (UAE) from 17 October to 14 November. Sri Lanka’s Kumar Dharmasena, who was one of the on-field umpires for the final of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, will be in the middle for the first match of the tournament, when Oman take on Papua New Guinea, alongside New Zealander Chris Gaffaney. Another Sri Lankan, the vastly experienced Ranjan Madugalle, will be the match referee, with Richard Kettleborough the TV umpire and Ahsan Raza the fourth official. Dar and Erasmus have been selected for the Super 12 clash between England and the West Indies, a rematch of the last ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final back in 2016, with Australian great David Boon the match referee for that encounter and Chris Brown, appearing in his first ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, on TV duty. Officials have been named for the entirety of the first round and Super 12s, with the selections for the semi-finals and final of the tournament in the UAE and Oman to be named in due course. Adrian Griffith, ICC Senior Manager – Umpires and Referees: "We are delighted to be able to call on some of the world's top officials for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup with a group of 16 umpires and four match referees. "Our aim is always to appoint the best possible officials, and we have also been able to appoint neutral umpires and referees in all matches. We wish them all the very best, and we are confident they will ensure the smooth conduct of matches." Match Officials at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 Match Referees: David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Ranjan Madugalle, Javagal Srinath. Umpires: Chris Brown, Aleem Dar, Kumar Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nitin Menon, Ahsan Raza, Paul Reiffel, Langton Rusere, Rod Tucker, Joel Wilson, Paul Wilson.

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT London (October 7, 2021):-England all-rounder Ben Stokes has undergone a second operation on Monday 4th October 2021 to address ongoing issues with the finger that he injured in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in April. Stokes had two screws and scar tissue removed from the index finger of his left hand. He will now undergo an intensive period of rehabilitation for the next four weeks under the supervision of the ECB's medical team.

SPORTS DESK Islamabad (October 7, 2021):-On the eve of the competition, President Marius Vizer had the pleasure of attending a concert of famous artists and IJF Ambassador Al Bano Carrisi, organised by the International Judo Federation. Al Bano was accompanied by his own musician and also performed together with Italian pop group Ricchi e Poveri as well as many artists from Russia, Romania and other countries. During the concert, the city mayor, the IJF President and Al Bano came together on the stage for a friendly moment where President Vizer presented Mayor Settimo Nizzi with the IJF gold medal. Junior Worlds: Viva l'Italia! It’s the first world championships organised after the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games! The Junior World Championships, Olbia 2021, delivered impressive judo throughout day one of the event. Being a top seed always offers more chances to be present in the final block of an international event. Still, this is not always a 100% guarantee, especially with the juniors who are still sometimes looking for their own judo style. Just before the start of the final block, the opening ceremony of the event took place in the presence of the Mayor of Olbia, Mr. Settimo Nizzi, the President of the Italian Judo Wrestling Karate Martial Arts Federation, Mr Domenico Falcone and the IJF President, Mr Marius Vizer. Settimo Nizzi declared, "Today is the opening of the great event that we've been waiting for, for so long. After the Veterans and Kata World Championships that were held in this city a few years ago, we are happy to welcome the international judo family to Olbia again. Judo is very popular among our population. Sport unites people. I thank the IJF President, Marius Vizer, who gave us the opportunity to host this championship. I thank the Italian Federation and Judo Sardinia for organising it. I am sure that we will have the pleasure of being part of a great competition, which will illustrate the values of the sport." Domenico Falcone said, "I am very happy to welcome you all to Olbia. This is the first world championship after the Tokyo Olympic Games and future champions will start their judo career here. Thank you to Marius Vizer for the confidence. Thank you to the Mayor of Olbia and the Sardinian authorities. Thank you to the organisers and all the volunteers. I wish you all good luck and success." Then Marius Vizer took the floor, “It’s a great moment to organise the Junior World Championships, during the time of Covid. I want to thank all participants and national federations for all their efforts. I also want to address all our consideration to the Mayor of the city of Olbia and to the Sardinian region, as well as the European Judo Union, the Italian Judo Federation and all those involved in making this event a success. Welcome to you all and I declare the 2021 Junior World Championships, Olbia, Sardinia, Italy, open." -48kg: Bravo Scutto for Italy For the host country of a world championship, securing a medal from day one is always very important. By qualifying for the -48kg final, Assunta Scutto (ITA) was able to bring a smile to the faces of the entire Italian delegation. Perhaps the hardest part remained though, against Russia's Irena Khubulova, who also qualified for the final. In less than one minute, Italy could already say that this edition of the Junior World Championships were a success, as Assunta Scutto scored a clear ippon with an osae-komi-waza technique applied on the edge of the competition area. Assunta Scutto said, "I have so many emotions that it is hard to explain. Today it was my day but I did not know that this morning. I wanted to win because it is a world title and because I’m at home. I was so nervous in the first round that it became my toughest contest. The rest was just perfect." The first bronze medal contest saw the second chance for Italy to step on the podium, with Asia Avanzato facing Anastasiia Balaban (BUL), winner of the Prague Junior European Cup in July 2021. With the bronze medal matches taking place at the beginning of the final block, Asia Avanzato (ITA) was very happy to offer the first medal to her delegation, after she scored a waza-ari with a low-o-soto-gari. It’s a good start for Italy. Rafaela Batista (BRA), silver medallist at the 2021 Pan American Junior Championships and Léa BERES (FRA), bronze medallist at the last Junior European Championships, qualified for the second bronze medal contest. 38 seconds were enough for the Brazilian athlete to win bronze after she applied a shime-waza that gave no chance to the French competitor. Final: SCUTTO Assunta (ITA) vs KHUBULOVA Irena (RUS) Bronze Medal Contests AVANZATO Asia (ITA) vs BALABAN Anastasiia (BUL) BATISTA Rafaela (BRA) vs BERES Lea (FRA) Final Results 1. SCUTTO Assunta (ITA) 2. KHUBULOVA Irena (RUS) 3. AVANZATO Asia (ITA) 3. BATISTA Rafaela (BRA) 5. BALABAN Anastasiia (BUL) 5. BERES Lea (FRA) 7. NASCIMENTO Alexia (BRA) 7. GOMEZ ANTONA Gemma Maria (ESP) -60kg: Sardalashvili Scores for Georgia   Romain Valadier Picard was the obvious favourite and top seed of the category, having won the 2021 European Championships with style and the Frenchman started very well, but he found a strong and tactical opponent with Turan Bayramov (AZE) in the quarter-final, who defeated the French judoka after the latter was penalised a third time for stepping out of the mat. The rule is clear: when you are close to the edge, you need to escape. Valadier Picard did this by attacking outside when he could have simply avoided the edge of the mat. So Turan Bayramov faced the Georgian, Giorgi Sardalashvili, in the final.   Sardalashvili won the junior world title after performing a counter attack for waza-ari, inscribing his name on the list of future Georgian heroes. Giorgi Sardalashvili said, "The secret of Georgian judo is hard work. We train and we listen to our coaches. I train with Lasha Bekauri; we have the same coach. Today I wanted to be as good as him." Disappointed by his defeat in the quarter-final, Romain Valadier Picard found the ressources to win his repechage match to enter the bronze medal contest against Yam Wolczak of Israel, which he also won with a beautiful waza-ari, scored with a precise kata-guruma. The second bronze medal contest saw Sherzod Davlatov (KAZ) and Kamoliddin Bakhtiyorov Kamoliddin (UZB) competing for a place on the podium. With a superb shoulder movement, Davlatov won the bronze medal. Final BAYRAMOV Turan (AZE) vs SARDALASHVILI Giorgi (GEO) Bronze Medal Contests VALADIER PICARD Romain (FRA) vs WOLCZAK Yam (ISR) DAVLATOV Sherzod (KAZ) vs BAKHTIYOROV Kamoliddin (UZB) Final Results 1. SARDALASHVILI Giorgi (GEO) 2. BAYRAMOV Turan (AZE) 3. VALADIER PICARD Romain (FRA) 3. DAVLATOV Sherzod (KAZ) 5. WOLCZAK Yam (ISR) 5. BAKHTIYOROV Kamoliddin (UZB) 7. SHATIRISHVILI Shakro (GEO) 7. PARCHIEV Abu-Muslim (RUS) -52kg: France Climbs on Top of the Medal Podium With Devictor Once again the host country qualified an athlete for the final, as Giulia Carna won her ticket after convincing victories against Sheily Lopez (GUA), Teresa Santos (POR), Marina Castello Diez (ESP) and Erza Muminoviq (KOS). To face her in the final was Chloe Devictor of France, who had a serious and consistant road to get there, having been seeded number two at the beginning of the day. Over-motivated by the victory of her teammate Scutto in the lower category, Carna stepped on the mat convinced that she could achieve the same feat but Devictor did not have the same opinion. During a very tactical match, the French fighter pushed her to get penalised and counterattacking her for a waza-ari, that offered the first gold medal of the championship to team France. Chloe Devictor said, "In the quarterfinal I had a very tactical match and a very physical one in the semi. The final was both tactical and physical. All day long I had tough and different styles to fight against and I felt that my opponents have studied my judo. It was hard but great. We have a good team, we are friends and we set the pace from this very first day. That means we are doing the right thing." In the first bronze medal contest Sabina Aliyeva (AZE) competed against Binta Ndiaye (SUI), who eventually won the medal. The second bronze medal contest saw Ariane Toro Soler (ESP) and Erza Muminoviq (KOS) competing for a medal. The medal went to Kosovo via Erza Muminoviq, who might be one of the next judo stars from her small country.